Reinforced arch-bridge.



J. B. MARSH. BEINFORGBD ARCH BRIDGE. .APPLICATION HLBD nov. 1, 1911.

Patented Aug. 6, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1,

N l QQ w uvonfoz Witnesses l JEM'J J. B. MARSH.

REINFORCED ARCH BRDGE. APPLIOATIO FILED Nov.1, 1911 Patented Aug. 6, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

aff/,793.7477 sm,

Patented Aug. 6, 1912;

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4 Jy. B. MARSH. RBINFORCED ARGE BRIDGE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. l, 1911.

Witnesses ToaHwhomitmag/concm:

Be it known that I JAMES B. Manen, a citizen of the United States, residin at Des Moines, in the count of Polk and tate .u of Iowa, have invente certain new and useful Improvements kiii Reinforced Archf Brid e and I do declare the followin to be a usll, clear, and exact descri tion o the f invention, such as will enable ot ers skilled g in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to bridges, and f more especially to those employing arches; and the ob'ect of the same is primarily to s construct t e bridge of reinforced concrete and in such a manner that the latter may exof tem erature and moisture. This and e other o jects are carried out by the cone struction hereinafter more fully described and claimed and as shown in the drawings wherein Fi re 1 is a side elevation of this bridge comp ete, with the arch Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional i view thereof' Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 3 3 o f Fig. 1 showing but one half of the bridge as the other is like this; Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional views on the lines 4-4 si) and 5-5 respectively. of Fi 3; Fi 6 is a i section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2, t e same bein taken on a smaller scale than Fi s. 3, 4 an 5; Fig. 7 is a section on the line -7 of Fig. 1 and Fig. 8 is a section on the line 35 8 8 of Ii 7; Fig. 9 is a section on the line f 9--9 of Fi 1 this view bein taken on a smaller scale than Figs. 7 an 8; Figs. 10 and 11 are a side elevation and cross section (on the line 11-11 of Fig. 10) respectively 40 of one of the wear lates; and Figs. 12 and be referred to hereinafter; Fi 14 is a plan view showing the lapping of 51e parapet on the brid e with that on the abutment; Fig. -15 is a si e elevation of one ofthe abutments partl broken away to show it in section, and `ig. 16 is a plan view thereof; Fig. 17 is a longitudinal vertical section on an enlarged scale taken on the line 17--17 of Fig. 15.

roadly speaking the object of the present invention is, to construct an arch bridge of reinforced concrete in such manner as to j permit of a limited amount of ex ansion jf and contraction both of the arches an of the floor which are, of course, the longest meni- Bpeoloation o! Letters Patent.

Application lcd November l, 1911. Serial No. 658,060.

pand and contract under varying conditions partly in section.

13 are perspective etails thereof which will y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES B. MARSH, 0F DES MOINES, IOWA.

BEINFORCED ARCH-BRIDGE.

Patented Aug. 6, 1912.

bers of the bridge. Broadly speaking, the parts of this structure as shown in the drawings are two abutments (which could be piers) P, a pair of arches A dis osed between and springin from said a utments the floor F carrie by and between said arches and reachin from one abutment to the other where it alines with the approaches, and the para ets or rails R along o posite sides of the oor line. These severa parts will now be described.

The abutments P might well be piers between spans of a longer brid e than shown as above suggested, but in tie present instance they are illustrated as composed of two side walls 1 which are of concrete sur- 'rounding a metallic reinforce com osed of horizontal rods a and upri ht rods formed into any4 suitable type o skeleton framework; braces 2 connectin these walls at suitable points and also o reinforced concrete structure; front or inner cross walls 3 connecting the inner edges of the side walls and risin to about the same height, these front wa ls also beiner of reinforced concrete structure and their skeleton frameworks c interlocking with those in the side walls; and footings 4 under all these walls, in which footinlgs may be embedded piles 5 as best seen in ig. 2.

The arches A are by preference two in number, and as they are duplicates of each other I will describe but one. These spring from points 6 within the bases 4 of the abutments P, pass through the front walls 3 and arch or curve over the stream being spanned, their curvature being such as to carry their crowns above the line of the floor F for uite some distance at the center of the bridge, and their distance apart being such as to ermit the inter osition of a floor F of sufcient width. t is quite possible to build a broader bridge than one with a sin *le drive-way as illustrated in Fig. 9, by uti izing three or perha s four of such arches all disposed side by side and in strict parallelism; but the present specification will describe the simplest type of bridge, the understandin being that amplifications could be made withoutdepartiiig from the principle of my invention.

Structural details of the arch itself are shown at the top of Figs. 3 and 4. By preference it comprises two angle irons 8, beneath them two other angle irons 9 which are parallel with the angle irons 8 as to width but which lby* preference diverge` slightly from them in their upright planes toward the extremities of the arch as seen in Fig. 1, and oblique braces or lattice-worlr 10 5 connecting vfour angle irons at frequent intervals; the rectan lar skeleton `framework thus roduced 'being embedded in a concreteody 1,1 of proper' consistency, size, configuration and color, and molded therein o and thereonrby any approved means forinibntervals b vsuitable braces 15, and all forming no partof the presentinvention. Riveted to the angle irons 8 and 9 at -proper points are lates 12, to which in turn are rivetedang e irons 13 and 14 standing in arallelism with each other and connected at ing an upright skeleton structure depending from the. arch A- and constituting vwith its surrounding and inclosing body` 16 of con- 20 crete'a hanger b means of whichthe floor v ltaken throughthe longest' which is atthe'` F issupported rom the arch A. As' seen in fFig. 1, for a bridge of the size and shape illustrated there would be about five of such hangers, and the section line of Fig.`3 is center of the arch. By preference the metallic framework of'each hanger consists of two angle Virons 13 andl two y others numbered 14-four in alt-fand near their lower ends' there are plates 17 and 1'8 riveted outside of the outer-irons14 and inside the inner irons 13, and other plates 19 and 20 at lower points ,as shown in Fig. 3;A and the lower t ends of the several irons are. firmly connected by oblique braces 21, everything being of course surrounded by the concrete body 16.`- The yupper plates 17 and 18 of each-hanger are connected with the similar plates of thethanger'o posite by means of cross rods 22, 'preferab y havin .centers 23 as -seen, in Fig. 3, an the lower plates 19 and 20y are. similarly connected' with the corresponding plates 'on'the oppo.

tervals these four cross rods 23 and 24 are depressed site hanger 'by wer cro rods 24. Ati infv caught in the bend of a U-shapcd yoke 25 as seen in Fig. 5, the ripper extremities of .the side armsof saidyoke being 4bent outward as shown at 26 so as to pass over transverse' rods 27 which in turn rest upon longitudil'.nal rods 28 that extend throughout the length of the floor In addition, ii desired, other pieces 29 may be disposed as indicated Y in dotted lines in Fig. 3, vand these may be veo taken as typical of ampliications of the metallic 'framework which is embeddedA in and surrounded by a concrete body 30 molded thereupon and .therearound in any' suitable way as above suggested. In this inan- `ner is builtyup what might be'called ties crossingthe brdgestructure and connecting the lower ends ofgtlie hangers in pairs. Where the arches cross the floor Aline occur what night be called beams2 best illustrated n Figs. 7 and 8. Here are side plates .parapet'numbered 44 and built upo prises a concrete slab yor rbody mold vcurbs 51 also by preferencereinforoed 31 'connected byucross' rods 32 having de\` pressed centers 33, their lower portions connected by a number of cross rods 34 inter- `posed between said depressed centers and forces, and extendingrthe 4full length of the bridge. Where' these rails pass' the hangers, the latter support themas seen inFig.

6; where they where l above described) theserailsvare .sup rted on upright 'posts 42 asbest seen in ige. 7 and 9; and at'both ends ofthe arch ese rails are connectedvintegrally with end posts 43 which` stand vaboveY the ero'ss'walls 3 of the abutmentsfRfso that that portion of tge' ng't e the beams (at points abutment has its own post 45,0utside ysaid that portion which vis carried by the bridge proplenfl` 4- T e floor F of this improved bridge com the alrc es,.cross the floor line asendv post 43' and is entirelyv separate fromi uponvand surroundinghtransvers'e rods 58st intervals crossing the'set'ies, of ylongitudinal wires 28 which above as ex'- tendin and which rforni the skeleton'.,reinforcev for this slab, and at both edges' ofthe same age y rods 52,.the surface of ther floor 'being a, filling o'f earth or any suitable material, 53, lyling u on said slab and disposedbetween p1 e cur The latter Vwhere they pass the,

grally united therewith, or in other words.

'the hanger is ,shouldered asseen at 54 in' Fifi. '6 so that it is united integgally with' the curb 51; but'where the ycur pass the arches above the beams already described, they are free from said arches as indicated throughout the length A.of the bridge 5- anger vare extendedpoutward and inte-v Y in Fi 7, and in fact the entire s'lab 50 is A 'free rom 4 the beams at thesepoints onlthe hereast is'molded integral bridgev I the ties where 'it crossesthem'and-the'tnnsv. verse4 reinforce rodsof said. `ties are-connected with the; longitudinal rods means of the yokes,25 `:.af'pabovedescri This detailof constructonfaccouiitsfor the numerous cross OdSfiiinp'the .in-` stead of the two cross` vr `dse24= in' the ties, and also for the presence. of-gthe upper cross rods 35 in the beams; as the latter must be self-'sustaining between theirl points 4of in` tegralfconnection with the arches A, where as the tical` are, 'integraliyfconnebted" with and. supported'fby the dhangersbut are 'also integrally connected withv the floor F and` are therefore not necessarily self-sustaining". It be seenytherefore, that; inthe type of bridgeillustrated thefoor F, 'the-ti`es,

the hangers supporting them,'and thosapor-lV '-.0 tions of the arches to which said hangers' l'i'connected from the floorv atrthese points; A"and the'para ets are integral with the hangers wherev t .ey--p ass them, supported on ZOQ-theroWn posts above the beams', and supgported: at their extremities on individual "l-posts/LS flush with and rising from the two lextremities ofthe floor F. Y Hence the arches w may expandand contract lto allow for changes' in temperature and other climatic "conditions and the extremities of the door will slide upon the walls 3 in a manner lwhich will be clear.

` Wear plates 60 carried by headed pins 6l 3Q rare vsupported beneath the slab -50 of the floor` atv points over said beam by having Lsaid"pinsjmolded into'the slab as shown in Figg; and these platesrest upon other plates 62', preferably having side flanges 63, .fa'tfland whicli'aresupport'ed bythe beam 1n any 'suitable manner las, by rivets or 'studs 64j `molded:thereintop "Details of these plates are `shown onv 1sheet 3 ofthe drawings, land 'E1gs|.`7rand'-8illustratetheir use. During bersjro 'this improved'bridge on account of y climatic'fchanges'or the stress of weight upnf:it,:the"r1se and fall of the 'arches due f n,totheirjlongitiidinal expansion and contrac- -Jtion may vcanse the beams to vmoveslightly 'I beneath fthe ends of .the Afloor, and this is accommodated by the disconnection if the beam structurel and the .-slab and the inter- 'varchesand rest upon the end walls of the v'two abutments P, While the arches are dis' e e 4ansionljori contraction of the memposition f the wear plates just described.. On the otherhand, the. expansion and contraction of the ioor F ma vcause its ends to move over said beams, an ythis is accommodated iniflthe same manner.

i What'is claimed as new is:

1. In' a bridffl, the combination with the 'abntmenta parapets along the side walls thereof, a pair of arches springing from points in the. abutments below the ,upperV edges4 of their walls, and beams' integrally connecting said arches atv two points be- 'tween the abutments; of a oor of reinforced concrete whose extremities rest slidably onv the front. walls o'said abutments and whose body overlies said beams, fiat wear platessecured respectively to the beams and floor and in s lidable contact with each other, posts rising from the'A edges of said floor, "the endmost posts standing inside those on the parapets, and rails connecting v the posts on 'the iioor.

f 2. In a reinforced concrete'bridge, the ,combination with the abutments, afpai of arches integrai with and springing from points low in theinner Walls of said abutvments, and tw'o beams integrally connecting arches in pairs bet'ween said beams, crossl ties. integrally connecting the lower ends' of said hangers in pairs, a floor consisting of a .depressed body and raised curbs along. its edges, the body formed integral with said -ties and sli'dably mounted on said beams and parapets andthe curbs formed integral with said hangers but separate' from said arches, flat wear plates secured respectively to said beams and to the floor where it ycrosses them, and a filling upon the body of the floor be In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my handl presence of two subscribing Wrtl 

